Why Did I Buy X-MEN Again?

What's it About: A group of mutants has to fight against another group of mutants for the fate of humanity.

Why I Bought it in the First Place: Fun fact, this was one of the first DVDs I ever bought. I bought it because as one of the first comic book movies, it had something I couldn't get anywhere else. My favorite characters up on the screen.

What I Think of it Now: I still like it. It's nowhere close to being as awesome as it was at the time. In fact, it can get a bit boring at times. It didn't have a huge budget, as superhero movies were a more or less untested genre at the time. Because of this, the action scenes are few and far between. When there is an action scene, though, they are usually pretty good, at least the bigger ones. The fight between Wolverine and Sabertooth atop the Statue of Liberty is particularly memorable as well as the fight between Toad and Jean Grey and Toad and Storm. In terms of casting, this movie makes some absolutely spot on decisions. Patrick Stewart IS Professor X, there was literally no other bald man you could throw in a wheel chair and have it work. Surprisingly, Hugh Jackman, who before this was known for a couple Australian TV shows and the musical Oklahoma, was a great Wolverine. It's a good thing he did so well, because he became the main focus of the series and has a spin-off movie coming out soon.

We just pretend this never happened...for the Professor's sake.

However, there were some missteps. For the life of me I'll never understand the appeal of Halle Berry. I've personally never thought she was that great an actress. She brings little to the role of Storm except a bad wig and a worse accent. Famke Janssen is not BAD as Jean Grey, but she is quite forgettable. She comes off a little flat, and doesn't do much to be a memorable role. 

Overall, this is a fun action movie and a reminder of the earliest stages of the superhero movie. It's kind of a fascinating look at where things were and where we are now. The difference between the black leather uniforms in this movie and the yellow striped costumes in the upcoming X-MEN: FIRST CLASS is a testament unto itself.

Will I be Keeping It: Yes. It's not the best movie, but it's nice to have that look back at how things were before the comic book movie genre took off. If you have not seen this yet, look it up and enjoy.

Why Did I Buy A KNIGHT'S TALE Again?

What's it About: A peasant takes the place of a dead knight in a jousting tournament and gets a taste for glory. He travels the country in an attempt to win tournaments and the heart of a beautiful woman.

Why I Bought it in the First Place: It was a pretty good movie, I liked it well enough and it was $3 at Half Price Books.

What I Think of it Now: It's actually quite enjoyable, though it's far from a perfect movie. The main problem I have with this movie is that it's just super long. At about two hours and fifteen minutes it takes up a sizable portion of your evening. The thing is, I'm not even that sure what could be cut. It's long, but it's also very dense. Another issue is that it never quite makes it. Let me explain. It's never quite funny enough to be a comedy. It's never quite romantic enough to be a romance. The thing it does best is being a sports movie, which I think it was it was originally going for. It almost feels like the other elements, especially the love story, were added after the fact. Because of this, the movies strongest point, the sports scenes, feel watered down.

It might sound like I really didn't like this movie much, but the  truth is, I really like it. Especially Paul Bettany as Chaucer. He adds a sense of humor to the film that it seems to be lacking in other areas. He is very funny and has two speeches that will go down as some of the best in the movies. Heath Ledger is also very enjoyable to watch. He plays a very believable peasant turned jouster. As the emotional center of the movie, he keeps the audience engaged in what's happening.

One of the more interesting aspects of this movie, and one that many people dislike, is the films use of a "modern" soundtrack over scenes taking place in the Middle Ages. I actually really enjoy this. I believe the director said in the commentary that the use of classic rock was supposed to mirror the change in attitude happening at the time and to bring the movie closer to the audience watching. I think it works perfectly.

Will I be Keeping It: This one I think I will. I only paid $3 for it, so if this is a matter of entertainment to cost, it's a very good deal.

Why Did I Buy 300 Again?

What's it About: The story of the 300 Spartans and how few stood against many.

Why I Bought it in the First Place: I was 20 years old and this was the manliest movie any of us had seen made in our lifetime. It looked cool and it led to several catch phrases that ended up getting old, and it inspired a second place winning Follies show.

What I Think of It Now: This is a heck of an action movie. With almost five years since this movie originally came out, it's not nearly as epic as it was when it first came out. At the time, it was the biggest thing there was. Every guy I knew had seen this movie and was absolutely in love with it. If not, well....

This happened to one of my friends

If this movie has nothing else going for it, it's beautiful to look at. From what I understand it was shot almost entirely on a green screen set and because of that, the director, Zack Snyder, was able to completely create the world the Spartans inhabit. As someone who read the comic book 300 is based on, I could really appreciate this complete creation because it allowed Snyder to recreate shots from the book exactly as they appeared. Even if you hadn't read the comics, they're just cool shots. 

300 also has a very cool method of storytelling. SPOILERS coming up. I like that we are presented an unreliable narrator. You don't think about it when watching through the first time, but everything that happens after Dilios leaves is completely fabricated by him. When we find out that Dilios is telling the story before a huge battle to rally the troops, it throws the whole validity of the story into question. Did any of it happen? Or is it all just a story to inspire a war? 

Overall, this is just a really entertaining action movie. There's not a whole lot of substance to it, but there's a couple things that you can leave the theater (home or otherwise) thinking about. And for all the ladies, theres upwards of 300 extraordinarily ripped men running around in their underwear for 90 minutes, so there you go.

Will I Be Keeping It: You know, I think I will. It's kind of a cool background movie. Something to put on when I'm on my computer or playing DS. It's shallow enough that I don't have to pay much attention to it, but I can stop and watch the action scenes and be entertained enough. I think I'll keep it.

Why Did I Buy FANBOYS Again?

What's It About: It's 1999 and a group of friends travel across the country to break into Skywalker Ranch to see The Phantom Menace before anyone else.

Why I Bought it in the First Place: There were a lot of Star Wars references and Kristen Bell. Why wouldn't I buy it?


What I Think of it Now: This movie is actually a lot of fun. If you're not a Star Wars fan, though, this is NOT the movie for you. I think the reason I like it so much is that each of these characters remind me of friends of mine. This movie really is a love letter to Star Wars and its fans. You can really tell when you watch it that the film makers and even the actors are really enjoying what they are doing. I don't know, I feel like there's not a whole lot to discuss about this one more than I just really enjoy it. If you love Star Wars then you owe it to yourself to see this movie.


Will I Be Keeping It: Absolutely. I was a little hesitant going in, considering I am getting rid of the movies I don't like. I thought maybe I was remembering it as being better than it was. Luckily it was very entertaining and I will have no problems watching it again.

Why Did I Buy BRUCE ALMIGHTY Again?

What's It About: A man (Jim Carrey) who is frustrated with his life and his career is given the power of God. He uses his newfound power to help himself, but he finds that being selfish might not be the best way.

Why I Bought it in the First Place: I originally bought this in an attempt to own all of Jim Carrey's movies. In addition to starring Jim Carrey, it also has Morgan Freeman in a spot on casting as God. I also liked the message  it has about faith.

What I Think of it Now: Well, it's not great. I still enjoy Jim Carrey's performance and Morgan Freeman as God is probably the best casting decision of the last decade. As I said, I also enjoy the aforementioned message of looking to a higher power, but not just standing by waiting for things to happen. Past those things though, there's not a whole lot to like here. The script is pretty dull and by the numbers. Bruce reacts the way you'd expect him to when given the power of God and, surprise, surprise, things don't go the way he expects. I think the issue with this movie lies in the direction.

It's not exactly subtle film making, but then Tom Shadyac, the director, is not exactly known for subtlety bringing us such hits as Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor, and Patch Adams. Now to be fair, he also directed Liar Liar which is a wonderful movie, at least if it holds up to my memory. Another weak spot is Jennifer Aniston. Now in the interest of full disclosure, I don't like Jennifer Aniston in anything she's in, but she seems especially bored in this role. As a side note, Steve Carell is quite hilarious as usual and the "Come, take a closer walk with me" joke is still hilarious, unfortunately there's not much to admire here beyond the performance.

Will I Be Keeping It: Sadly, I don't think I will be. I just don't see myself coming back to this movie again. It was fun for a while when I first saw it, but there's just not enough to make me want to see it again. If it comes on cable, I won't change the channel, but I don't think I need to own it anymore.

Why Did I Buy the BACK TO THE FUTURE Trilogy Again?

What is it About: If you are reading this blog and you have not seen at least the first Back to the Future then leave right now and go watch it. Are you back? Good. Then you know it is about a kid who gets sent from 1985 to 1955 in a time traveling DeLorean. He must get his parents back together or risk being erased from existence. The sequels follow Marty and Doc's adventures in different time periods.

Why I Bought Them in the First Place: Look. To me, the first Back to the Future is just about a perfect movie. I watched this movie all through my childhood and I still love it.

What I Think of it Now: Clearly I still have a lot of affinity for these movies so this will hardly be an objective review. I'll try to keep these reviews short since there are three of them and I have little negative points about them.

Part 1: Obviously I love this movie. It's a great adventure/comedy. The characters are all memorable and it has some lines that have endured for 25 years. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are clearly the standout performances. Lloyd's Emmett "Doc" Brown is bound to be one of the best remembered characters in movie history and Michael J Fox is right there with him as Marty. The story is also great. I'm a huge fan of time travel stories in general and this one is no exception. The science fiction elements of the story or mostly kept at a minimum, but the ones that are there are easy to understand for a wide audience but clever enough that fans of the genre (like me) don't get bored with it. If there's any complaint I have about the movie is that it is a little too rooted in the 80s. I go back and forth as to whether or not this is actually a bad thing. On the one had it absolutely dates the movie, with its soundtrack and 80s pop culture references it is very much a product of its time. However, since the movie is itself set in 1985 and then in 1955 it almost works as a period piece giving it a bit of a timeless feel.

Part 2: Being a sequel, this one is obviously not as good as the original. Part 2 is actually my least favorite of the trilogy, which is not to say that in any way is it bad. The big thing it has going against it is that it hits a lot of the same beats that the first one does.What I do like about it is that it has a lot more fun with the time travel concept than the first one did. This one has alternate timelines, two of the same person at the same place and visits to the future. The future is where we have most of the movies problems. Since the movie future takes place in 2015 and it is now 2011, there is clearly some disconnect between the technology in the movie and the technology we have now. This often takes me out of the movie watching experience. The other major issue with part two is that it takes place at the same time as the first one so we see a lot of the same things. While it's fun to see that at first, after a while it seems to drag on a bit. However, it is a fun twist on the sequel rule "show the audience everything they liked in the first one but with more". I like the fun this movie has, but I just wish they had done a little more original things with it.

Part 3: As a kid, this one was my favorite of the three. It probably had to do with the western theme. I really like the fact that this one was a western. It sets the movie apart from the other two while still giving the viewer everything they liked about the first two. What is really nice about this one is that it is almost more Doc's story than Marty's. Even though Marty's arc continues and finishes here, Doc seems to be the focus of the western part of the story. This one just has a lot in it. There's a western story, a love story and of course the conclusion to the three movie storyline. It's a good movie and a fine conclusion to the series.

Before I wrap up, I have to mention the soundtrack by Alan Silvestri. The main theme is one of my absolute favorites in all of cinema. The rest really adds to the feel of the movies heightening the emotional and action moments. In addition, the Huey Lewis song "The Power of Love" is a great 80s song that really fits the movie well.

Will I Be Keeping It: Absolutely I will. One of my favorite trilogies with a ton of special features means this set will be sticking around for a long time.

Why Did I Buy THE INCREDIBLE HULK again?

What the Movie is About: See previous blog post, add crazy army guy/Abomination

Why I Bought it in the First Place: Well, it was way better than the 2003 HULK. That was a big selling point. It made a nice double feature with Kung Fu Panda. So I had good memories of seeing it.

What Do I Think of it Now: It was actually really enjoyable. Especially after watching the other Hulk movie. The acting in this one is really good. Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner really well. He brings a very nice subtlety to the role. Tim Roth did a really good job playing Emil Blonsky. Watching his change from soldier to super soldier to Abomination was very entertaining. The only issue in terms of acting was Liv Tyler. Her acting style is just too...light? I guess. I don't know, she plays a good elf, but not a very good scientist. There were a couple attempts at humor that kind of fell flat, I think it has to do with the lack of chemistry between Liv Tyler and Edward Norton.

The action in this movie was very good. It was nice to see action in the opening titles, and then again twenty minutes in. The pacing of the movie was nice. There was very little time where the movie felt like it was going slow.

The special effects in this movie are great, especially the Hulk himself. He seems to much better fit into the world of the movie than the 2003 Hulk. Abomination wasn't quite as believable, but he still looked good. I feel like there's not as much to say about this movie as there is about other ones. It's a fun movie, but it is a little light on the conversation topics.

Will I Be Keeping It: I think so. I went back and forth on this one, but I think it made the cut. It's a nice, mindless action movie where Hulk smashes. What's not to like?

Why Did I Buy HULK Again?

What It's About: A man turns into a big green monster and just wants to be left alone.

Why I Bought it in the First Place: This one I believe was actually a Christmas present, but I did ask for it. I enjoyed this movie when I saw it in theaters. Most people hated it and I didn't so I kind of felt that I needed to stick up for it. So that's why I wanted it, I felt I needed to stand by my movie.

What I Think of it Now: Well, here's the thing. This is not a very good movie. I still stand by the fact that it is not a BAD movie, but it is definitely not a good movie. The main thing it has going against it is that it's just...boring. I was watching it and about 40 minutes in I realized I still had not seen the title character. In a movie about the Incredible Hulk, you kind of want to see The Incredible Hulk smash things.

Apart from the lack of action, another dividing point seemed to be the use of what I'll refer to as "panels". Basically what would happen every once in a while is that the screen would split and you would see different angles on screen at the same time. I personally really liked this. I thought it gave the movie more of a "comic book" feel. I think most people found it too distracting, but once again, I liked it.

Now, the rest of the movie was...not good. Except for Jennifer Connelly, all of the acting is pretty bad. Sam Elliott gives a pretty forgettable performance as General Ross, but he wasn't terrible. Nick Nolte as Bruce's Dad, Josh Lucas as Talbot, and Eric Bana as Bruce Banner/Hulk were all just bad. They were over the top and cartoony and just not very believable.

Finally, let's talk about the Hulk himself. I don't think the Hulk model was that bad, but for some reason he just never seemed to fit into the world. I don't know if the coloring was off or if the special effects were just not that good, but there was something just...off about him. However, despite him not quite fitting into the real world, the movement and even "acting" from the CG creature was actually quite good, especially considering he only had like two lines the whole movie.

So in conclusion, the movie was not "bad" necessarily , but it was very boring. Except for a few exceptions the acting was really bad, and the movie could have used either more fight scenes or less drama. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Hulk poodle. Yes it was in the movie, yes it was ridiculous, let's move on as comic book fans.

Will I Be Keeping It: Well it was bound to happen sooner or later...I will not be keeping this one. While I don't hate it, it was pretty boring, and the fact that I've watched it about twice in five years tells me it won't be missed very much. Let's see if I can get a couple bucks off of it.

Why Did I Buy COMMUNITY Season 1 Again?

Why I bought it in the first place: Another easy one. It was the funniest show on television during the 2009-2010 season. I love this show. Also there was a commentary on every episode.

What I think of it now: Well this one is still pretty fresh, and season 2 is actually on the air at the time of me writing this. I still love this show. Almost every episode has something awesome or quotable. After finishing the whole season in about two days, I immediately wanted to watch it again. I think what makes it so lovable is the characters. At first there's not much to them, but as the season progresses they each come into their own as unique characters that you can relate to on some level. The relationship each of the main characters build with the others is also unique and wonderful. Abed and Troy have a completely different dynamic than Troy and Pierce. The plots tend to get a little over the top sometimes, but never so much that it strains credulity. One of the best of the season is the episode "Modern Warfare" which places the characters in a parody of every action movie ever made. The beauty of it, though, is that you completely believe that the characters and the school would react the way they do. Out of everything this show has going for it, my favorite thing about Community is the way it sends up different genres and tropes without being cynical towards them. This is most spectacularly seen when Troy and Abed sing "Somewhere Out There". It could have been done completely sarcastically, but instead they play it with a straight face which makes it even more hilarious.

Will I be Keeping It: Absolutely I will. As I said, it absolutely wouldn't bother me to start watching it again immediately. This show was my favorite one from last season and the more I watch it, the more it is climbing higher and higher on my list of all time favorites. It is at least top 5. So, yeah, I'll be keeping it.



Author's Note: I don't know how many people are reading this, but should I add a brief summary of what each show/movie is about? Let me know in the comments or on Facebook

Why Did I Buy (500) DAYS OF SUMMER again?

Why I bought it in the first place: This is an easy one. Two words: Zooey Deschanel. I kid, but she WAS the main reason I checked it out in the first place. I had seen the trailers and it looked interesting so I rented it from Netflix and really liked it. I think it came at a point in my life last year when I was really looking for this kind of movie, so I bought it.

What I think of it now: Overall, I still like it. Though not nearly as much as when I watched it the first time. One of the things that drew me to the movie in the first place was that I really relate to the character of Tom. He's a bit of a hopeless romantic, and when the movie starts, he is not where he wants to be. Which was very much me when I saw this movie. The performances in it are all really great. Joesph Gordon-Levitt as Tom and Zooey Deschanel as Summer are obviously front and center here and their performances are very subtle, showing a couple falling into and out of love. In surprisingly good side roles are Matthew Gray Gubler as Tom's best friend and Chloe Grace Moretz as his sister. Neither are in the movie for very long, but both give very memorable performances. The scene transitions are one of the most memorable parts about this movie, showing a tree progressing through the seasons as a metaphor for the relationship. Going back and watching it again though. there are problems with it. As good as JGL and Zooey Deschanel acting is, the characters are not particularly likable for much of the movie and the story really grinds to a halt about 2/3 of the way through. It does pick back up in the last 20 minutes, but the slow down really is noticeable.

Will I be keeping it? I think I will. While the movie does have it's problems and it doesn't speak to me quite like it did the first time, I feel like there's still a lot to get out of it. I won't watch it all the time, but I like knowing it's there for when I do.